//------------------------------// // Day of the Duel // Story: OC, Oh Crap! // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// It started out as a normal day. As normal as Ponyville could be with two humans living among the ponies, that is. All the ponies moved about the town, their time occupied by their own jobs and affairs and worries. Cheerilee was busy teaching her students at the schoolhouse. Ditzy Doo was buzzing about giving ponies the wrong mail. Roseluck was selling flowers at her flower stand. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And so when the trained pulled into the Ponyville station, it was a wonder that anypony at all noticed the figure who disembarked. === Meanwhile, Austin was busy with Twilight in the town square. It was such a nice day outside that she insisted on having their daily magical lesson in the fresh air of the outside world. Austin had no complaints. It even turned into a small picnic of sorts. Fluttershy brought most of the food, but Pinkie Pie had some sweets she offered to the other ponies. They were all there, too. The Mane Six, Spike. Even Tessla. They got to setting up the blanket and setting out the food while Twilight gave Austin his lecture on magic for the day. “I don't know how he can stand it,” Rainbow Dash said. “Listening to her talk on and on about magic, day after day. Twilight's my friend and all, but damn.” “Yes, Twilight does tend to ramble from time to time,” Rarity said, “Especially on the subject of magic.” “The better question is how he even understands any of what she says,” Pinkie chirped in, “I speak seven different languages from pastries to hard candy and I don't even know what she says half the time.” “Ha! HE doesn't understand everything,” Spike said as he stuffed a large ruby in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before gulping it down and talking again. “He just doesn't want to say anything to Twilight. Thinks she'll be hurt or get mad or something.” “Why, that's absolutely absurd,” Rarity scoffed at the notion. “What say you, Tessla? You're his friend.” Tessla thought for a moment. He had to phrase this right or sound like an idiot. “Austin is a lot of things,” He began. “But one thing he is not is stupid. He may not always show it, but he is very intelligent.” "Well said," Rarity replied. They all nodded their heads in agreement and got back to the picnic. The food was wonderful. Fluttershy had a talent for making salads. She blushed whenever somepony complimented her on it. They sat there and watched Twilight with Austin. She had him sitting down on the grass with his legs crossed. His arms lay loosely over his knees. He took a few deep breaths before closing his eyes. His breathing slowed to a crawl. He seemed to enter a near trance like state. Twilight backed up and trotted over to the rest of them after a moment. She sat down and quickly grabbed a bite to eat. She was starved. “Hey, Twilight. What's he doing?” Tessla asked. Twilight finished with her latest bite of food before answering him. “Lately, I've been teaching Austin about balance. The ebb and flow of magic. Today I am using Ponyville itself as an example.” “Ah don't get it,” Applejack stated plainly. “It's actually quite simple,” Twilight said, “Ponyville is made up of all the ponies that live in it. They all work and live and do their jobs all at the same time, every day. There is so much going on here in this one small town that you would think it would be completely chaotic, but it's not. Ponyville has a flow to it. Every pony has their place, their job to do, and they do it. And unless some catastrophic calamity of some proportion lands right in our laps it will continue to have this flow.” “I'm actually following you so far.” Tessla said. “I'm glad,” Twilight replied with a smile. “What I have Austin doing is focusing on sensing this flow. Since everything has some sort of energy one can sense the flow around it if one focuses hard enough.” Tessla nodded a nod of understanding. He understood most of what Twilight had said. He had faith that Austin would get the hang of whatever magic she threw at him. He was good like that. So they sat there and ate their food while Austin sat just a few feet away. After a while some of the smaller stones and pebbles started to float around him. It was just an inch or two at most, but it was noticeable. It was also pretty cool. But then a thought struck Tessla. It hit him hard. Any harder and it would have been Ditzy Doo knocking some sense into him. “Is Austin going to eat anything,” He asked. All at once the ponies stopped moving, some of them mid chew or with their mouths still open and waiting for the arrival of more food. A silence crept up then and surrounded them. For a second it stayed silent, only to be broken by small squeak that lasted a second or two. All the eyes were drawn to Fluttershy, whose cheeks betrayed her embarrassment with a thick layer of red. “Excuse me,” She said softly. The other ponies looked away and Fluttershy turned to the hummingbird hovering right next to her. He gave a silent thanks that only Fluttershy could understand and flew off. As everypony settled back into a comfortable eating position they realized they hadn't answered the question. Eventually, all their eyes collected on the food laid out. There really wasn't much left. They all traded glances back and forth nervously, but still said nothing. The next sound to break the silence that had blanketed them was a very loud, very unexpected crunch. Spike stopped mid chew as they all looked at him. “What?” He asked, “It's not like he's going to eat my gems. He doesn't eat gems. He told me so himself.” “Come to think of it he really doesn't eat much at all,” Twilight said. “Huh. I guess I never really noticed until now.” === By that point the figure from the train had made their way well into town. They walked the streets trying be as inconspicuous as possible. It's a kinda hard thing to do in a town like Ponyville. This figure eventually overheard a conversation between two ponies about the Princess eating lunch in the center of town with her friends. Perfect. They headed over their right away. There she was. Princess Twilight Sparkle, and all her friends. They were sitting around a picnic. It was perfect. All of them in one place. This was the best they could have hoped for. And so that figure headed off to meet Twilight. She ran at a full sprint and didn't care who saw her at that point. They were all caught off guard. Twilight didn't see it coming until the very last second. By that time there was nothing she could do. She didn't even have time for an eye twitch before she was gone, tackled to the ground behind her by this as yet unknown figure. Twilight had to roll them off of her body before getting up and collecting herself. “Trixie,” She half yelled it and half questioned it. “What are you doing here?” “Please, Twilight.” Trixie said weakly, “I need your help.” With that Trixie lost all consciousness. She lay there as they all loomed over her. Twilight herself leaned her head down and touched her horn to Trixie's head. She sent a flash of energy through Trixie. For a while nothing happened. During this time Twilight looked Trixie over. She was not in good shape. Her coat was worn and dirty. It looked like she hadn't bathed in days. There was dirt and mud caked all around her hooves. A few patched here and there even looked to be scorched as if by intense heat. Her mane was in worse shape. It was a mess, frazzled and unkempt. There were leaves and a few small twigs sticking out of the tangled mess. Whatever had happened to her obviously wasn't good, but that wasn't what had Twilight worried. It was what she couldn't see. Trixie's eyes opened slowly. She blinked a few times to let her eyes adjust to the light in the room. Wait, room?! Trixie shot up and out of bed only to instantly wish she had not done that. Every fiber of her being ached and a soreness like nothing she had ever felt just reminded her that it was still present and staying for a while. With a pained groan she slowly slumped to the floor. “Good. You're up.” Trixie slowly turned her head to see Twilight standing just a few paces away. Despite the pain Trixie shot up and draped herself along Twilight's neck. She pressed herself into Twilight's mane and held herself there for a moment. “Um, Trixie. What are you doing here?” “Oh, right.” Trixie said. She separated herself from Twilight. “Sorry,” She said with a blush. Twilight brushed it aside and let the rest of her friends in, Austin and Tessla as well. It was time for an explanation and Trixie was going to give one. Twilight still wasn't quite sure if she was going to like what she heard, but she never knew with Trixie. “Twilight, I have gotten myself into some trouble, and I need your help.” Trixie said. “You see, I did something that in hindsight I shouldn't have, but it's too late now. The damage has been done. I don't know what I am going to do.” “Relax, Trixie,” Twilight nearly shouted. Trixie was starting to get worked up again. “Just calm down and tell us what happened.” “It was a duel,” Trixie stated. “A magic duel. Now, I know what you all are thinking, but I didn't start this one. At least, not intentionally.” Trixie got a few raised eyebrows at this, so she explained it further. “Twilight, you know how I like to boast,” Trixie said. “It is an unfortunate character flaw that I am still working out, and it has gotten me into a bit of trouble. My boasting attracted this stallion. He was interested in me and my magic. I should have something was wrong just then, but I wasn't thinking. Anyway, he challenged me to a duel. I swear, HE challenged ME!” “I reckon it didn't go to well for ya,” Applejack said. “No, it did not go well for me,” Trixie said. “He seemed nice when we were talking, but when we dueled he changed. He was mean and violent, brutal and ruthless. He was completely without mercy.” “Sounds like a fun guy,” Dash remarked. “So what did you do?” Trixie looked up at her and then turned her head away from them all. “The only thing I could. I ran, and he's been chasing me ever since.” “And you came straight to me for help,” Twilight said. “That would kinda explain why you look so . . . so. . “ “Disheveled,” Rarity finished. “It's true,” Trixie said, “I haven't eaten in days. I am dying to wash my mane. A good hooficure would be grand right now.” “I think we can manage that,” Rarity said. “You may not have always treated us right, Trixie, but not even you deserve to go on looking so. . .” “Disheveled?” Trixie asked. “Right,” Rarity said, “Come now. We're off to the spa. This will give Twilight some much needed time to figure out a game plan for your problems.” It was a unanimous agreement. Rarity was right, after all. On both counts. Trixie needed to improve her look and Twilight needed some time. They all walked out together, seeing as how they all had their own lives to get back to. All except for Austin and Tessla. Rarity and Trixie were the first out the doors of the castle. The two stopped to talk for a moment before heading off to the spa. Applejack and Rainbow Dash headed off to do what they did best, leaving the rest of them with their goodbyes. Not a single being there noticed anything out of the ordinary. Then again, why would they? A single pony in Ponyville wasn't out of the ordinary. But this particular pony, he was here for a reason. === He stalked the streets of Ponyville. His prey taken away by a pesky purple princess. He had followed the Unicorn here from halfway across Equestria. He would finish what was started, but he needed her to do it. And so he waited. Finally, he saw her once more. She emerged in the company of the Princess and her friends. It did not matter. He would have his end. He would finish what had been started, and he would have it done before sundown. And so he approached. His eyes were locked onto his prey. She would not get away from him again. Nopony noticed the magic power he was building up. Nopony seemed bothered by the low, pulsating glow emitting from his horn. It was either that, or nopony cared. He truly didn't care which one it was. His eyes were on his prey, and he was closing in. He just had to be clear from the mob of ponies filling the streets to get a clear shot. An easy enough task. His prey had moved away from the rest of them. All except one. Oh well. And once he was clear, he pointed and he unleashed. === Austin barely reacted in time. It was actually Tessla who pointed it out. That feeling in the air. That spark that charged the air. There was something that made the hair in their arms stand up. Austin got a bad feeling that was coming up from deep withing him. He looked out to the town and his eyes fell upon one pony. One pony that by all standards, should not have looked out of the ordinary. His coat was white. with it seeming to be more empty and void of anything rather than just being plain white. His mane and tail were ash black with streaks of a gray barely lighter. His face was formed in a look of twisted delight as Austin saw and felt the magic coming from him. It took less than a second longer for him to realize this pony was locked onto Trixie. Austin barely reacted in time. Tessla stepped back quickly as Austin turned to Trixie and Rarity. He nimbly slipped past Tessla and the others. He could hear Tessla shouting out to the two ponies, but he didn't stop. They did, and they turned to look back. NO! Don't stop! Austin raced up to Rarity and Trixie, reaching them just as that pony unleashed his magic blast. Now it was a race against time. An unknown pony and Austin. Both locked in a battle against time. One had fired a blast of magic, and the other was protecting the target. Could he use magic against it? Could he move fast enough? Good question. The world slowed down as Austin stared at this blast coming at him. It was powerful, he could feel it. He could feel his hands moving on their own. He couldn't control them, and he didn't want to. He trusted that he knew what to do. And he did. His body moved on its own, throwing his arms up to cross his body defensively, a barrier of arcane energy forming just inches away. He could hear the whispers and murmurs starting behind him, but only for a second. For the next thing he knew, the wall exploded as that unknown pony's magic blasted the barrier to not but dust. Austin stood up slowly. The ringing in his ears was preventing him from getting and keeping his balance. It was going away slowly. He could hear somebody talking to him, but he couldn't tell who it was. All he saw was blurs and shapes and a few colors. He felt a small tap to his forehead and a purple blur in front of him came into focus. Twilight looked at him, into his eyes for a moment. “Are you okay,” She asked with concern and worry heavy in her voice. “Yeah, I'm fine,” Austin said, barely believing it himself. The impact aggravated his previous wound, and it was throbbing something fierce. The dust cleared and settled and a pony approached them. A red pony, with an ashen mane. He found Austin in his gaze and glared at him fiendishly. “You guard my prey,” He said with a deep, yet empty voice. “That's him! That's the stallion,” Trixie said. “That's Thorn Blackrose.” “Thorn Blackrose,” Twilight asked. “Yes, dearest Twilight.” Rarity said, “I've actually heard of him. I wish Trixie would have mentioned his name sooner. I could have warned about something like this.” “Who is this pony?” Tessla asked. “He's a skilled magical duelist,” Rarity said, “He's also a brute, mean and heartless. He has put more than a few ponies in the hospital due to his duels. Now he travels Equestria challenging any pony he deems worthy to duels. To the best of my knowledge, he has never lost.” “I see my reputation extends even here,” Thorn said. He stepped forward only to find Austin and Twilight blocking his path. “Still, you guard my prey.” “Prey?!” Twilight growled, her voice rising with her anger, “Prey?! She's a pony, just like you! How could you do that, firing off a magic blast that powerful? Do you have any idea what kind of damage that could do? Do you have any idea how many ponies could have been hurt?” Thorn's face remained as blank and emotionless as ever. “Collateral damage,” He said with an empty, heartless tone. “I wasn't going to let you hurt Trixie,” Twilight said, “And now that you've threatened my friends I won't let you leave Ponyville.” “Whoa,” Rainbow Dash said, surprised. “Twilight, that's kinda dark, especially for you.” “I hate ponies who use magic to abuse other ponies!” Twilight said with anger. “I pisses me off to no end!” Twilight nearly snapped. She surely would have if it were not for Austin. He stepped in front of her so that she couldn't see Thorn. He knelt down so that he was eye to eye with her. He looked her right in the eyes. “Twilight, you can't do this. You're a princess now. I know you want to defend your friends, but not like this. It isn't you. I want you to be you. Stay here with Trixie. She needs you as you are now.” Austin's touching words caught Twilight off guard. She hadn't ever really thought of herself like that before. She had given into anger just now and was ready to destroy Thorn. No pony would have been brave enough to step in between her and him, but Austin did. Before she could say anything to him he had stepped back and turned to face Thorn. In one smooth, flowing motion he stood and turned. A hand lashed out at Thorn, it met a barrier but still he was forced back a few feet. Austin straightened his body and stood tall and ready. “I will fight you,” Austin said, “I will defend Trixie here and now.” Thorn thought about this. He wasn't a pony, but he was magical. Judging by that barrier he was also at least mildly competent. He would be an intriguing opponent, and being the first pony to defeat a human in a duel did have advantages that he could use far into his future. He shook off the push back that Austin had just given him and stepped forward. “A duel is set,” He said, “Let's begin.” === Ben disembarked the train just in time to see that nopony was on the platform. It was empty, devoid of any intelligent life except for him. Even the crickets that chirped when it got too quiet were gone. It was rather eery. It was made even worse by the fact that he had expected to see some of his friends there, both pony and human. “I thought they would be here,” Ben said under his breath. He couldn't stop the wave of disappointment that washed over him. He had been gone for two weeks now and he comes back to find that his friends were not awaiting him. Ben slung his bag over his shoulder. He had gotten some new stuff in the Crystal Empire. He took it all and headed off to Twilight's castle. It was only then that he heard the noise. Or the lack thereof. At this time of day Ponyville should have been abuzz with activity, but there was silence. It wasn't until he got further into town that he heard the noise. He rounded a corner to see that almost every pony in Ponyville had gathered in the center of town. Something big had gotten their undivided attention, but what? He had to push his way through the crowd of ponies. It wasn't until he was right next to the ponies that they realized who, and what, he was. Many ponies parted to let him through unhindered. He nodded his appreciation and moved to the front of the crowd. That was where he found some familiar faces. “Hey guys,” Ben called out. The Mane Six all turned to greet the tall fellow. Pinkie rushed up to give him a hug as the others sounded off their hellos. Each of the seemed to be a bit distracted, however. Their attention was divided between him and whatever the crowd was watching. “What's going on?” Ben asked after he pried Pinkie off him. “Look fer yerself,” Applejack said. “Your friend has gotten himself in a spot of trouble,” Rarity stated. Ben looked away from Applejack and followed her hoof. His eyes fell upon a sight that caused his heart to skip a beat. It was Austin. Ben's sight fell on him just as a magically created hoof gave him a right hook to the jaw. Austin reeled back, but managed to keep on his feet. Ben cringed at the impact. It looked painful. Ben looked back at them with a more serious look than he had ever had before. “What the hell happened?” Pinkie Pie appeared once again in Ben's hands and she inhaled one long, deep breath. After that she went on to explain to Ben everything that had happened since that morning in the following three and half seconds. “Okay,” Ben said after a second. “So what happened?” “He's fighting for me.” Ben heard the voice, but did not see the pony it came from. Rarity gestured behind them and Ben moved past them to see Twilight and Trixie standing there. Trixie was looking back toward him, telling him that it was her that Austin was fighting for. “But, why?” It wasn't Ben that spoke, but Twilight. She was locked onto to the duel playing out before her eyes, and onto Austin. Trixie gave him a short explanation of what transpired before he arrived. That gave him a lot of answers, but not Twilight. “I don't understand,” She absentmindedly mumbled. “Why is he doing this?” Ben looked back at the duel. He had no idea if Austin was winning or not, not that it mattered at the moment. He was holding his own. “How could you let this happen?!” Ben turned on Twilight. “You're a princess. Can't you stop this?” “I've tried,” Twilight shouted back. “Nothing has worked. They won't listen to me. I don't know why.” “I expect this from Thorn, but why is Austin acting this way,” Fluttershy asked. “It doesn't make any sense.” Ben sighed. “It does if you knew him like I do,” He said, “I've known Austin since my Junior year of high school. He has always said how he fights with honor. That's what this is to him: A matter of honor” “That don't make a lick a sense,” Applejack said. “Think about it,” Ben explained, “Trixie came for help. Twilight's a Princess, so she is too powerful to make the duel fair. There isn't anypony else in Ponyville that could challenge this guy, so Austin stepped up. He's the champion defending the honor of a wronged pony.” “Still don't make sense,” Applejack muttered. “It does to him,” Ben said quietly. === Austin kept himself from falling flat on his ass once again. He had just taken yet another hit from Thorn Blackrose. The pony was good. Really good. His magic was strong and he knew how to use it. Unfortunately, all he used it for was hurting other ponies. That couldn't be allowed. Not anymore. And so, as Austin's vision came back from distorted blurs in a haphazard heap of motion to a slightly less haphazard blurry outlined world he was determined to end this once and for all. Thorn Blackrose. A pony duelist that had been keeping Austin on the defensive since their duel began. Austin had just taken another blast from him. One too many, if you asked him. Not nearly enough if you asked Blackrose. He went down to a knee, but that wasn't enough.Why won't he go down?! Blackrose was getting really tired of this human. Austin was really starting to irritate him. No, he was irritated a while ago. At this point, he was borderline pissed off. He wanted it to end almost as much as everypony else did. As much as he enjoyed the thrill of dueling this one was not as much fun as he thought it would be. His chest heaved, every breath heavier than the last. Most of his duels were done long before this point. He glared at Austin, but maintained as much of his composure as he could. He didn't want to be seen as unruly. And then he attacked. Less than a second for his horn to charge up the attack. A beam, thick as pony's leg fired off like a laser. Austin threw his arms up in front of his body in an 'X'. He deflected the blast up and away from the other ponies, much to Thorn's delight. This left him open for just long enough. He immediately launched another attack. A small volley of distracting magic missiles diverted the human's attention away from him. He barely had time to avoid those and took two of the hits. They little more than bug bites in comparison to everything else he had already taken. That was okay, for it let Thorn get into position. He leaped to the side and ran up Austin's exposed left side. He skidded to a halt as his horn charged up another blast. The red magic flowed around him and he unleashed everything he had at Austin. This time he went down. “NNOOOO!” Twilight shouted out over the gasping crowd, her eyes widened by worry. “NO! Come on, Austin,” Tessla said. “Get up. You can do this.” “Come on, Austin,” Ben shouted, “Don't let this asshole beat you.” The noise of the crowd was a dull ache in the background of the pounding that was resounding in Austin's skull. Everything hurt. Literally. Austin loudly groaned as he slowly rolled himself over to his stomach. He lay there for a moment to catch his breath. His lungs were on fire, his chest felt like an entire hoofball team had just barreled over him. But still, he got up. Austin got to his feet. It was only then that he realized that Thorn had just ruined another of Rarity's shirts. That was what, three, for Austin now that he had lost? Something like that. But the shirt wasn't important. What was underneath it was. Thorn stared in wonder as the human actually got up from the blast he had just delivered. That would have put nearly any pony in the hospital for weeks, if not months. These humans were tougher than he thought. That's when he saw it. As Austin stood, Thorn Blackrose got a much clearer picture of the opponent he was facing. Scars. Fresh, but healed. Long and deep, but still prominent. He would never admit it to anypony that ever asked him, but Blackrose actually felt a bit intimidated at that point. After all, whoever could survive something like that was more than they seemed. What the hell happened to this guy? Austin noticed Thorn's slightly distracted state, and capitalized on it. It was just the moment he needed. He created a small orb of magic in the palm of his hand. He threw it at Blackrose, who noticed it almost immediately. He put up his own barrier, but that had no effect. Austin's small magic orb wasn't an attack. The orb stopped just short of the barrier and then exploded in a brilliant, dazzling flash of light. Blackrose was blinded. By the time he could see again Austin was right on top of him. Austin reached out his right hand and slammed it down on Thorn's face. Two fingers on either side of his horn with Austin's thumb just under his eye. He looked up at the human with a pleading look. All he saw was Austin's emotionless face and soulless eyes. This must be what they see when they look up at me. Austin followed up that look with a shocking arc of power. It was like lightning itself had shot down from the heavens and now coursed through Austin's hand. Thorn Blackrose, pony duelist extraordinaire. now stood there with his white coat marred and blackened by scorch marks. His eyes showed the terror of his victims. He finally understood how they felt. “Do you yield,” Austin asked flatly. Thorn moved his head just enough to nod yes to Austin's offer of surrender. Austin removed his hand and looked down at the pony. He was defeated, and it looked like he learned something in the process. “Good,” Austin said, just before he collapsed. The Next Day. . . Austin woke up to find that he actually wasn't in the hospital. Surprising. He tried to move only to be blindsided by a heavy dose of throbbing pain. It wasn't too bad, but it caught him by surprise. It took him a moment to remember everything, all the aches and pains. He could definitely feel that he was covered in bandages again, though. “You're awake.” Twilight said from the doorway. “I came to check on you. You've been asleep for nearly fifteen hours.” Her voice was steady and authoritative. Something was wrong. “Twilight, I-” “Save it,” Twilight said quickly. “I'm sorry. It's just that you- you.” Twilight stepped into the room quickly as she spoke. “You didn't need to do that! You shouldn't have done that! What were you thinking?!” “Somebody had to do something.” “And it had to be you? I had everything under control, Austin.” Her voice was heavy with anger at him. It and her volume were rising with each sentence. “What were you going to do, Twilight?” Austin snapped back. He got out of bed and stood with her. “What exactly were you going to do? Fight him yourself?” Twilight stopped in her tracks. She had come in expecting to give a lecture, not get one. “You are a Princess. That would have been a one sided fight that would have solved nothing. Blackthorn would have just come back at a later time.” Twilight didn't speak. He had a point. She beat Trixie and she came back, with more power no less. But there was something else. “What aren't you saying?” Twilight asked. “I know there's something more, so say it.” “Twilight, I never wanted you to see me like that,” Austin sighed, “That kinda violence is just a fraction of what humanity is capable of. That was human nature. I hate it, and I never wanted you to see it.” “Then why did you stop me?” “Because, Twilight, I would rather me do it than you.” Austin said, “You are the Princess of Friendship. You can't be seen beating up ponies in magic duels. You can't be seen losing yourself to anger, even if it is to protect your friends. Your too important to me.” “What?” “Important to ponies,” Austin quickly corrected himself, “You are too important to every pony out there.” Austin quickly turned his back to her. He faced the window. He mostly did this to hide his blushing cheeks. I am an idiot. For a guy so careful with his words, how could I let that slip? Gah! Stupid. I can hope she didn't notice, but come on. This is Twilight Sparkle. Austin's thoughts were cut off by Twilight. She had come up and rest her head on his arm. She just left it there. Neither of them said anything. After a moment Twilight looked up at him. “Thank you,” She said, “For everything you have done.” Another moment of silence passed between them. It was starting to get awkward when they heard something behind them. They both looked back to see Spike standing there. He had cleared his throat to get their attention and now he was trying to looking anywhere but at them. “Oh, Spike,” Twilight sputtered nervously, “How long have you been there?” “Long enough,” Spike answered. “Did you need something,” Twilight asked. “I was told to come and get you, and him to if he was up,” Spike said, “I guess he is.” “Spike,” Twilight said, “We will be with you in a moment.” “Okay.” . . . . . “Spike?” “I'll just, uh, wait outside.” “Good idea.” Spike practically left a trail of fire as he exited the room. The awkwardness was definitely there now. Twilight look at Austin and smiled nervously. Austin smiled back. “There are gonna be rumors now.” He said. “Oh jeez. I'm barely a princess and already a scandal.” They shared a chuckle and Twilight moved for the door. Awkward silence. . . “I should really be going now,” She said with a nervous chuckle. “Yeah,” Austin agreed, “I'll be with you in a moment. I just gotta put a shirt on.” “You do that.” With that Twilight left the room. Austin was left with the silence and the awkwardness. Before he put a shirt on Austin gently touched the part of his arm where Twilight laid her head. She has a really soft mane. The pain wasn't bad but he knew somebody had made a “He's gonna feel that in the morning.” joke. Probably Tessla. Maybe Pinkie. Twilight and Spike had gone on ahead of Austin. He knew where they would all be though. The throne room. Sure enough, when he walked in they were all there. All six, plus Ben and Tessla. Unfortunately, silence replaced the chatter in the room when he entered. They all just watched him as he walked in. Then Trixie saw him. “You okay,” Austin asked. “You take on an incredibly dangerous Unicorn and take a beating, all for me,” Trixie said, “And then you ask if I am okay? You are a strange one, human.” Trixie lunged forward and wrapped Austin in a big hug. Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but did her best to make it unnoticeable. “Thank you,” Trixie said. “I don't what would have happened if you had not been there.” “I'm sure it would have all worked out in the end,” Austin said as Trixie released him. Pinkie Pie ran up and embraced him in one of her stranglehold hugs. They all gave their sympathies and praise for winning the duel. None of them said anything about him being more violent than necessary or anything. He did not press the issue. Ben and Tessla were the last to come up to him. “Ben. I thought I saw you on the sidelines,” Austin said, “How you been?” “Really? I come back to Ponyville to find you getting your ass kicked, just weeks after you receive a nasty wound. What in the hell were you thinking?” “I did what I had to do.” Austin replied. “End of story.”